MovieChat Forums > Amarcord (1974) Discussion > Is all Felini pretty much this way?

Is all Felini pretty much this way?

posted 13 years ago by bimlanders
7 replies | jump to latest

I've only seen Amarcord and 8 1/2. I think you pretty much know what I'm asking - no real plot, episodic, a large gallery of characters, none of whom follow any kind of particular arc, but simply exist as personalities of their time and environment. I recently viewed Amarcord after I heard such good things about the film, and I found that enjoyed a good chunk of the material, but towards the later stages I did start to have my mind meander and wonder where it was all going. And then when the end came, it seemed so abrupt. And I thought, "well, that's over now and it's time to go do something else."

This style of story telling gives me a lot of nice details and colorful personalities, but when I zone in on particular aspects, I want to see them developed more. For instance, I liked the scenes in the school a great deal, and then we never return to them. I wanted to know more about the fat kid who had the crush on the pretty girl. We get a couple of fantasy sequences, but there's no payoff. I loved the scene with the family arguing at the dinner table, with the father giving a wonderful performance, but then we never return. There are no *recapitulations*. If I would liken Felini's film to music, I wouldn't call it a Symphony or an Opera, but more like a Robert Schumann Miniature, featuring episodes that are connected in spirit, but not by notes.

I'm not demanding a traditional narrative that we see in every major picture, but I understand the value of the narrative: it's the characters that we care about, and the plot itself will test and change these characters, and flesh them out. The plot is pretty much unimportant, but it's provided for structure, like a symphony, so that themes can recur, develop, climax, coda, and so on. Structures can be infinitely original, too, never adhering to a particular formula.

So, that's my two cents. I'm a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, and Ingmar Bergman, but I'm always looking to branch out. Which Felini film should I try next?

[–] titusbeertsen 12 years ago

Try 'La Notte di Cabiria'(personal Fellini favorite), La Dolce Vita, and La Strada.
You don't need to apologise for not being too happy about this movie, because it's one of the more overrated Fellini movies... Very flamboyant, but ultimately quite shallow.
I like your film comparisons with music, I often find structures in music are very much alike, especially concerning theme's and narratives.
I see you've discovered the 'greats', but do try some lesser known but equally great directors: Parajanov(Shadows of our Forgotten Ancestors), Ophüls(Letter from an Unknown Woman), Haneke(Das Weisse Band), Makhmalbaf(A moment of Innocence)[the whole Iranian filmscene is WELL worth checking out], Buñuel(Viridiana), Bresson(Au Hazard Balthazar), Powell&Pressburger(The Red Shoes), ah, I could go on and on :)

Happy movie watching!

"The willow sees the heron's image upside down" from 'Sans Soleil'

[–] mevmijaumau 10 years ago

As someone who has also seen only 8½ and Amarcord as far as Fellini films go, I'd have to say that you've really worded this perfectly. It's exactly how I feel about these two movies.

[–] IMDB_Vits 8 years ago

Among the ones I've seen, LA STRADA and CASANOVA follow a more traditional narrative.

[–] Bergman_Fellini87 8 years ago

Apart from La Strada & Nights of Cabiria, which have been recommended (I do too),I would also suggest I, Vitelloni, & The White Sheik.

[–] federicocristina 8 years ago

This is a thread to bookmark. My thoughts exactly.

I know ratings are not important but given IMDb and RT numbers on this film, I started to think... what's wrong with me?

Thanks for sharing.

[–] don-lockwood 8 years ago

Watching it now, and I agree. I guess I need my films to have central characters, who are generally present throughout the story, even if there isn't a traditional linear narrative. This has some recurring characters, but I can't connect to any of them given the slice-of-life approach. It's obvious that the film is going nowhere. At best it's a rich, thorough look at an old Italian village; at worst it's pointless, plotless, and not as funny or true to life as it thinks it is.

I didn't take away much from La Dolce Vita either, but at least it had a tighter focus. La Strada was much more focused and well acted, though I didn't find it as impressive as its reputation suggests. I didn't like I Vitelloni at all even though I paid it more attention than Amarcord. His best I've seen therefore is Nights of Cabiria. It's the best and most focused story, with a beautiful, haunting performance by Giulietta Masina. Otherwise, I find Fellini a director who can clearly craft interesting, evocative images and mise-en-scene, but not as memorable a filmmaker or storyteller as some of his contemporaries.

[–] Prismark10 8 years ago

La Strada is different.

It's that man again!!